The present invention is directed to an expandable livestock feeder and flexible chassis therefor, and more particularly, to an expandable hay bale carrier and feeder for transporting and presenting hay bales for feeding by livestock in the field.
A wide variety of livestock feeders have been employed in the past for the feeding of livestock in the field. In general, these feeders typically comprise a container of one form or another for containing one or more bales of hay. The container walls usually have openings therein to permit access by the livestock to feed on the hay within the container from outside of the container. In some instances the feeder is designed to be placed in a relatively permanent location in the field where it is initially filled and replenished at that location. In other instances the feeder is mounted on a wheeled chassis so that it may be transported from one location to another, such as for loading.
The non-transportable relatively permanently positioned feeders suffer a number of obvious disadvantages as a result of their generally non-transportable nature. Even the prior chassis mounted feeders which permit the transport of the feeder from one location to another have a number of disadvantages. One disadvantage is that many of the prior transportable feeders generally have a limited capacity. This is because the width of the feeder has generally been limited to a width which will permit livestock on each side of the feeder to be able to reach the hay in the center of the feeder. If the feeder width was increased in order to accommodate large bales in side by side relationship, the center of the feeder generally is not accessible by the livestock and a substantial amount of hay would remain unconsumed. Thus, the prior feeders, whether transportable or not, generally have not been capable of holding more than one large round bale of hay in side by side relationship. Multiple large hay bales could only be accommodated if the length of the feeder was substantially extended. However, extension of the feeder length presents its own difficulties, particularly where the feeder is chassis mounted for maneuvering and transport.
Another disadvantage experienced in the prior feeders, whether transportable or not, is the difficulty experienced in loading or unloading the feeders due to the fixed nature of the feeder side and end walls. Such feeders typically require loading with a front end loader and, once loaded, are difficult if not impossible to unload except by consumption of the contents by the livestock.
Still another disadvantage experienced by the prior feeders is their inability to compensate for the progressive consumption of the hay in the feeder. Specifically due to the fixed nature of the feeder walls, as the hay is consumed by the livestock, the walls remain stationary and act as a barrier to the livestock's access to the hay remaining in the feeder.
An attempt has been made to overcome the foregoing disadvantages by mounting the feeder side walls in a manner so that they are transversely movable either manually at various intervals of time or by the livestock as they feed to generally conform with the hay remaining in the feeder. These attempts do improve the capacity of the feeders. However, such manually adjusted feeders require repeated supervision and adjustment by the farmer and frequently result in time periods in which the live stock are deprived of hay awaiting adjustment of the side walls. In the prior transversely moveable side wall feeders in which the livestock adjust the feeder, the mechanism which mounts the side walls for transverse or lateral movement is cumbersome and generally blocks the ends of the feeder from access by the livestock, thereby preventing feeding simultaneously through all four walls of the feeder.
The feeder of the present invention overcomes all of the foregoing disadvantages. In the feeder of the present invention the volumetric capacity of the feeder may be readily varied so that the width of the feeder may be increased to a capacity large enough to accommodate at least two large round hay bales in side by side relationship. Yet, the width of the feeder may be readily decreased to accommodate the configuration of the hay in the feeder as it is being consumed and to permit access by the livestock to even the last remnants of hay in the center of the feeder, and the width may be readily adjusted to accommodate bales of different sizes. Moreover, the ends of the side walls of the preferred feeder of the present invention are capable of transverse movement independently of each other to permit the ends of the side walls to move transversely of the feeder in a manner to vary the shape of the feeder to closely conform with the shape of the hay remaining in the feeder even though consumption of the hay may have occurred at a more rapid rate at one end of the feeder than at the other. Another advantage of the preferred feeder of the present invention is that access to the hay in the feeder by the livestock is possible not only through the feeder side walls, but also through the end walls notwithstanding the fact that the end walls include the mechanism which mounts the side walls for independent transverse movement.
Another advantage of the present invention is that the side walls of the feeder may be opened to permit ready access to the feeder for loading or unloading of the hay bales and may be selectively opened at either end of the feeder.
Still another advantage of the present invention is that the volume of the feeder is automatically adjusted by the live stock as the livestock consumes the hay in the feeder.
Still another advantage of the preferred carrier and feeder of the present invention is that the feeder is readily capable of transport from one location to another either with or without bales therein. The preferred carrier and feeder of the present invention is capable of an extremely low profile and center of gravity. This not only presents its baled hay contents to the livestock at a low and readily accessible elevation to permit easy access to the contents and complete consumption thereof, but also substantially reduces any tendency of the loaded feeder to tip during transport, particularly in the field in which the terrain may be uneven. One of the features of the present invention by which this is made possible is by the uniquely constructed chassis of the present invention which permits the chassis to torsionally flex during transport through the field to permit it to accommodate any ruts or other uneven terrain which it may encounter.
In one principal aspect of the present invention, a hay bale feeder for livestock includes a bed for supporting at least one hay bale thereon and a pair of spaced end walls adjacent opposite ends of the bed and extending transversely of the bed and upwardly therefrom to retain the hay of said bale on the bed. A pair of spaced side walls extend longitudinally of the bed and upwardly therefrom to also retain the hay on the bed, the side walls having a length substantially equal to the spacing between the end walls. Mounting means mounts the side walls for movement transversely of the bed between a first position transversely spaced from the end walls and a second position adjacent the end walls. The mounting means also permits the movement between the first and second positions of the side walls by the livestock as they feed so that the side walls remain closely adjacent the hay as the hay is consumed by the livestock. The bed, end walls and side walls define a container of varying volume for the hay and the side walls and end walls have openings therein to permit access to the hay in the container for feeding of the livestock from the outside of the container and simultaneously through the side walls and end walls.
In another principal aspect of the present invention, the mounting means permits movement between the first and second positions of one end of a given side wall independent of the other end of the given side wall.
In another principal aspect of the present invention, the mounting means includes a first tubular member on each of the end walls extending transversely of the bed, and second elongate tubular members mounted to and adjacent each end of the side walls and slidably extending into the first tubular member to permit movement of the side walls between the first and second positions.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the second elongate tubular members are telescopically received in the first tubular member.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the second elongate tubular members of one side wall are telescopically received in the second elongate tubular members of the other side wall.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the mounting means includes means to permit at least one end of the side walls to move longitudinally of the bed as the side walls move between the first and second positions.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the last mentioned means includes first and second substantially vertical members which are moveable transversely toward and away from the bed, the vertical members being spaced from each other by a distance sufficient to slidably receive one end of the side walls therebetween.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the last mentioned means also includes a hinge for mounting the end of the end wall opposite the slidable end for rotation about a substantially vertical axis.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the mounting means includes means which permits both ends of the side walls to selectively and alternatively slidably move longitudinally of the bed or to rotate about a substantially vertical axis.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, means is included to permit the side walls to be opened for loading or unloading of the hay bale into or out of the container.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the volume of the container is sufficient to accommodate a plurality of round hay bales supported on the bed in transverse side by side relation to each other when the side walls are in the first position.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the bed may be mounted on a wheeled vehicle chassis, whereby the container with or without the hay bales may be moved for transport from one location to another.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the chassis comprises a pair of beams spaced from each other and extending substantially transversely to the direction of movement of the chassis. Wheels are mounted adjacent the ends of the transversely extending beams to rollably support the chassis for such movement, and a pair of longitudinally extending beams spaced from each other extend between the transversely extending beams and substantially parallel to the direction of movement. One of the longitudinally extending beams is substantially rigidly fixed adjacent each of its ends to each of the transversely extending beams. The other of the longitudinally extending beams has at least one of its ends spaced from but supported upon one of the transversely extending beams for movement relative thereto, whereby when at least one of the wheels encounters a change of elevation of terrain relative to the other of the wheels during movement of the chassis, the chassis twists about an axis which is substantially parallel to the direction of movement.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, both ends of the other of the longitudinally extending beams are spaced from but supported upon the transversely extending beams for movement relative thereto.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, pin means adjacent the ends of the other longitudinally extending beam which loosely pin the ends to the transversely extending beams.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the longitudinally extending beams include a longitudinally extending opening therein which extends over a substantial portion of the length of the beams.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the opening is a slit in the bottoms of the beams.
In still another principal aspect of the present invention, the twisting of the chassis permits the wheels to remain at a substantially constant distance beneath the bed when any one of the wheels encounters a change in elevation in terrain.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood upon consideration of the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention which will be described to follow.